The Xiangyu Xiangyuan B&B, located in Xiamen’s Dazhai Village, is a trio of traditional Southern Fujian dwellings, restored by Design Institute of Landscape and Architecture China Academy of Art to retain the rural vernacular while offering its visitors the comforts of a modern-day guesthouse.
The project uses steel, glass and brick to reinforce the original wooden frames and tiles, resulting in a harmonious blend of old and new. The areas where the buildings collapsed over the years were replaced with contemporary make-overs. Floor-to-ceiling windows were installed to give visual and physical access to the interior courtyard, while an entire façade and part of the roof were wrapped in steel-rimmed glass, flooding the space with natural sunlight. In a bid towards sustainability, old materials were worked into newer forms: stone bricks embedded into new walls, original stone laid down for flooring, and old wood crafted into wall panels.
The guesthouse’s interiors prominently feature wood in its flooring, furniture and contemporary ceiling installations. Alongside these wood details are stone and porcelain, traditional elements used as modern touches. From locally woven grass carpets to staircase handrails wrapped in straw rope, the interior design richly embodies Southern Fujian culture within its walls, inviting foreign and local guests to revel in it.
The Design Institute of Landscape & Architecture of China Academy of Art undertakes thousands of development projects each year through their 15 branches, field branches, centres and workshops. Driven by a service tenet of “fashionable concept, perfect design and sincere cooperation”, the Institute moves towards a higher goal of taking oriental art as the academic support, and social innovation as its responsibility.
Visit the Design Institute’s website, and see more China-based architectural projects.
Photography © k·bphoto / AOGVISION for China Academy of Art